This invention relates to a suturing device operable to pass a needle through tissue, grasp the needle on the opposite side of the tissue, with gripping of the needle on the opposite side of the tissue being selectively produced by the operator from a region distant from the needle, and permitting withdrawal of the needle thus gripped from the tissue.
Various suturing devices have been devised in the past, however, for the most part, these have been rather complex devices which have been rather cumbersome to use and complex in their construction. Further, such previous devices generally have not had provision for driving a needle through tissue, and then selectively gripping the needle on the opposite side of the tissue to draw the needle fully through the tissue and withdraw it from the area of the tissue. Prior suturing devices also have lacked convenient means for loading a needle therein for operation.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a novel suturing device which overcomes the above set out disadvantages of prior known devices in a simple and economical manner.
More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel suturing device including a pair of elongate arms having an adjacent set of ends swingable toward and away from each other for gripping tissue therebetween. One of the arms has needle driving means thereon for driving a needle through the tissue and into the region of the other arm. The other arm has a needle holding element thereon which is selectively shiftable between a release position which permits passage of the needle freely into the region of the other arm, and a holding position in which the needle is gripped by the other arm. After passage of the needle through the tissue and gripping of the needle in the other arm, the arms may be spread apart, to fully draw the needle through the tissue and the device then is withdrawn from the tissue.
Such a device may be of particular advantage to surgeons who may have to suture tissue within a region which is not only difficult to reach, but also is obscured from view. With such a device, the surgeon may insert the operating ends of the arms into the region of the tissue to be sutured, operate the device to drive the needle through the tissue, after the needle has been driven through the tissue grip it in the holding means, and then pull it through the tissue on spreading the arms apart, and thereafter withdraw it from the region.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device wherein an operator handle for producing shifting of the needle holding means is positioned on one of the arms in a region spaced from the operating ends of the device, thus to permit manual actuation thereof by the user in a region spaced from the operating ends. This allows for selectivity of operation of the holding member, wherein the same does not grip a needle until such time as the user actuates the operating handle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a novel device wherein the operator handle is shiftable between released and holding positions and is operatively connected to the holding member for producing corresponding movement thereof between its release and holding positions, and which further includes yieldable biasing means operable to urge the operator handle toward its holding position after initial displacement thereof from its release position. With such construction once the operator handle is initially shifted from its release position the biasing means will operate to urge the holding member to its gripping position.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a suturing device having a needle holding channel in one of its arms opening at one of its ends in the direction of the other arm, and including needle retracting means operable to receive and grip a needle and, upon operation to retract the needle to draw it into the channel. Not only is this a benefit in initially loading the device for use, but also permits the user, during operation, to retract the needle even after it has been forced partially through tissue.
Another object is to provide in a suturing device tissue shifting means which is operable to engage and shift tissue fully over the shank of a needle to assure full passage of the needle through the tissue before withdrawal of the device.